Thursday, 19 November 2009

Since the late 1960's Jakarta has grown into a mega-city that has been "temporary" home to thousands of expatriates from all over the World. One of the city's most famous, expatriate "kids" - Barack Obama spent part of his childhood in Jakarta.

Aside from a long history of being "home" to many non-Indonesians. Modern Jakarta is a city of contrasts, and to many a scary mega city, which has a larger population than many countries in Europe, and states in the USA. But this has created a 21st century mega city, strongly influenced by a mixture of cultures.

Expatriates in Jakarta today, have an easier time of it, than expatriates of yesterday. The city has adopted many "westernized" traits, such as mega-malls, fast food outlets and suburbia. You can shop at Carrefour, drink coffee at Starbucks, and eat any type of food, often at reasonable prices, compared to home.

Depending on your contract, and the area you live in. Expatriates on the "high end," live in an ultra modern, affordable and "westernized" existence. There may not be that much difference between suburbia in the West, and in Indonesia to many of these expatriates.

Many expatriates prefer to live beyond the "high end" westernized suburbs like Kemang in South Jakarta. Sometimes because of convenience, given the fact traveling across Jakarta, could take as long as a flight to Singapore or even Shanghai, depending on the traffic.

So most locals and expatriates prefer to live close to where they work, rather than live in "ghettos" like Kemang. This means you experience the "real" Jakarta, the city of contrasts, were traditional kampungs. intermix with Fast food outlets, Malls and roadside street food stalls.

And not all expatriate jobs are the well paid Corporate Management or Consultant jobs that make life affordable in Kemang or other exclusive suburbs in the City- another reason why many expatriates, live in "normal" Indonesian-style suburbs or kampungs.

One of the secrets of adjusting to life in Jakarta, is to become "Indonesianized." This helps with business and work, where just because something resembles "back home," it does not mean it has the same. attitudes, manners and tastes differ from person to person, and Indonesians have a history of taking an idea, and then creating something uniquely Indonesian out of it.

Learn the local language, get to know the local food, and explore communities outside the closed in high end suburbs, and you discover a very unique and thought provoking City that will live in your memory even if you are passing through.

Jakarta is a city that embraces but changes outside influences, and symbolizes the rise of Asia, in this very new Century of great change. It welcomes you as long as you can adjust and accept the traffic, attitudes and extreme contrasts of this ever changing city- and has become "home" to many "foreigners" from all over the World.